Who wouldn't want a job where they cuddle puppies and kittens all day... what could be better, right? Let's follow our Client Care Team around for the day and see what life's really like behind the scenes.
The day starts like you would expect, our morning shift receptionist arrives and opens the practice ready for our first customers of the day.
She is greeted by the Vets Now out of hours team, who have been at the practice overnight treating emergencies and looking after inpatients that stayed the night. It can be a guessing game of what they will walk into when the emergency vets have been open overnight; they could have been treating anything from diarrhoea to animals hit by cars – let’s hope it’s been an uneventful night, and the pets of Worcester behaved behaved themselves!
The receptionist greets owners as they arrive for the morning admission appointments, it’s always difficult for owners to leave their pet’s for surgery but our friendly receptionist offers re-assurance and comfort.
Mornings are always a busy time, filled with deliveries, phone calls and appointments.
Deliveries are always big and the names of the drugs they contain are even bigger! She works her way through the mountain of boxes, checking off each item with diligence and care; as she unpacks the items she battles with polystyrene filling and packing tape (of course all whilst answering the phone and serving clients).
The receptionist works her way through the busy morning diary, smiling to greet each client as they enter and wishing them well as they leave. It can be a bit of a juggling act as Mrs. Roberts with her bouncy Labrador comes in at the same time as Mr. Smith with his nervous Persian cat is waiting to pay. The receptionist works her magic to get both cat and dog past one another without any incident, this can be easier said than done.
What an emotional rollercoaster our receptionist faces this morning; she welcomes an 8-week old puppy and its owner in for it’s first vaccination at 9 o’clock, knowing that in 30 minutes time, a long-standing client is bringing in her elderly cat to be euthanised after a long battle with illness. She must overcome her own emotions and remember that she is there to support her clients, so with a smile on her face she greets the puppy and owner, giving him a big, warm cuddle. A short while later, once it’s time to say goodbye, she must gather the strength to be brave and support those who are at the other end of their pet journey.
But we must keep going, we’ve got work to do…
The vet has been busy completing the repeat prescriptions, there’s liquid to measure and tablets to count; all of which must be done with precision and attention to detail. Once these are done it’s time to contact the owners, working through the 10, 20, 30 clients on the list; she sends message after message and makes call after call, until finally the task is complete (that is, until the vet does it all over again this afternoon).
Did we forget to mention, that whilst all of this was being done the receptionist was answering phone calls – she’s explained the practice health scheme 5 times so far this morning, taken food and prescription orders so many times that she is running out of paper and spent 10 minutes explaining the difference between the 7 different flea treatments we sell. Talk about an overload of information!
Yet despite this unpredictable mayhem, ask any of our client care team and they’ll tell you how rewarding this busy role is.
Being part of the Brentknoll Client Care Team is more than 'just a receptionist'
